Trees - the original and best carbon-capture technology

Australia’s forest plantations and managed native forests are a renewable and sustainable resource, consisting of 2 million hectares of hardwood and softwood plantations plus around 5.5 million hectares of sustainably managed native forests, of which about half a percent is harvested each year and regenerated. They not only support amazing the biodiversity of Australia flora and fauna but also underpin important regional employment, economic activity and social benefits.

Australia’s renewable forest resources provide another incredible benefit – they can store huge amounts of carbon dioxide (C02) in standing timber and wood, paper and bioproducts, and for many years afterwards by the recovery and recycling of these renewable products.

As well as the important carbon storage and abatement benefits of forests, they play a major role in moderating atmospheric warming dissipating the heat of incoming solar radiation through natural photosynthetic and evapotranspiration processes.

Every year, our industry alone replants more than 70 million trees – just one year of planting will produce trees that capture more than 320,000 cars’ worth of annual emissions!

Australia's current plantation estate stores an estimated 171 million tonnes of carbon with a further 103 million tonnes of carbon being stored in wood and wood products in service.*